A second chance: Sizewell C to give jobs to hundreds of ex-offenders

Nuclear power station to offer training courses and work for prisoners in the building and operation of the plant

- Rachel Sylvester

Hundreds of ex-offenders will be hired to work on the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station as part of a drive to generate broader social and economic benefits from big public infrastructure projects.

Sizewell C, which was given the final go-ahead last month, is already working with local prisons in Suffolk to design training courses in welding, construction, engineering and hospitality that are aimed at equipping inmates with the skills needed to work on the plant.

Some prisoners will be allowed out of jail on day release during their time in custody to do shifts at Sizewell C. Others will be taken on permanently as paid employees when they come to the end of their sentence.

Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said those running major public construction programmes had a moral and economic responsibility to hire ex-offenders. "I believe that these national endeavours, which are funded by the consumer or taxpayer, have a duty to take account of the societal impact around them," she said. "I personally feel people should have a second chance – and there is also a national shortage of people in the workforce. Here's a source of people. If it's done appropriately, it can be a win-win for the project, the taxpayer and society."